Home /Storydoc Activities /CORFU-THE STORY OF DOCS INSTORYDOC 2010
15 July 2010

corfu15.jpgA mysterious collector of works of art, of Greek origin, who created the largest hidden collection of modern art in Moscow in the history of the Soviet Union, the Kostakis Collection, met in Corfu an Egyptian painter, Abdalla. The painter, much earlier, had attempted to show with his life and his work that the two worlds, the Christian and the Muslim, share the same principles. The collector explained to him that the other two worlds, the Eastern and the Western share, lately, the same value: money. The collector and the painter were surprised when they were called to evaluate artistically the wok of a simple and poor man from Filiatra. Panos Iliopoulos, the photographer of his village, when he saw collectors, painters and the director of ARTE TV, Kathrin Brinkman, congratulating him, he got out of the Dark Room, and he confessed to them that when he had immigrated to the U.S. he studied photography and cinematography at the prestigious school of Chicago, in Ilinois, A bit further down two women, the Austrian, Diana Budisavlevic, and Dido Sotiriou had to say a lot about the events that shocked the world: The Nazi Occupation and the civil war in Yugoslavia. But, they looked pleased by the release in 2009 of their two books. The one, Diana’s List , edited by Diana’s granddaughter, portrays how she saved from Croatian Nazis, the Ustasi, 12.000 Serbian children from the genocide which was being prepared by Croatian Nazi collaborators. The other one, Dido Sotiriou’s, Hidden Book, was edited by her grandson, Nikos Belogiannis. Both women left with a complaint. In corfy16.jpgYugoslavia no one had recognized the rescue work of the Austrian Red Cross. She had the bad luck of not being either Yugoslavian or communist and also the bad luck that the communist leader Tito had not wanted the next generation to learn that Croatians, even the Ustasi, had slaughtered Serbian children. Another communist leader, Zachariadis, left Sotiriou numb when she ran to the newspaper, Rizospastis, to transfer the very valuable news that the American war machine would be involved in the Greek Civil War, and he just deleted her from party membership. This prophetic book was lost in the maelstrom of the cold war decades, and it was revealed by accident by workers in the ruins of her old house.  If the heroes were forgotten in Greece and Croatia, the opposite happened in Romania. General Adoneskou was honored and was responsible for the neutralization of a thousand Jews in a poisoned gas factory outside of Odessa. The General was nearly acclaimed as the greatest Romanian of all times in the BBC vote which took place on Romanian television. And now, a Romanian journalist is fighting for a Theatrical Presentation of the massacre in Odessa, so that it will remain in the collective memory of his fellow countrymen. By the presentation of his work coupled with his unique personality, he is trying to find a place in the souls of his countrymen here in Greece. The composer himself, nevertheless, is following with interest Rosa Eskenazy who entrusted an Israeli director and a Greek producer to find her hidden traces during that time. Two fatherlands, one life, many love affairs. A Bulgarian director, Albena Mihaylova, who works in Switzerland, is watching the triad. She is seeking to separate the Greek and the corfu12.jpgTurkish periods in her grandfather’s life and to discover in state archives and in family letters the secret of her family. Until then, whatever she doesn’t know is hidden in two words: Para i Vyara. In a company of Somalian immigrants in Bari, who are living roughly in the FERHOTEL, a hostel for immigrants, all these things are viewed as concerns of people, who even if they have not solved all their problems, at least have something to eat or somewhere to sleep. A bit further down from Bari, in Mazzara Del Vallo, on the southern coast of Sicily, the fishermen have lost their sleep from a new threat: the Glandestini. These former Mafiosi and current polite politicians are changing the rules of trade with Tunisia. From now on, not only are fish sold, but also weapons, drugs and people. On our islands, on Tilos and Cyprus, a German and a Briton are looking for Paradise Lost by an Island Bus. But, an Israeli has been bored of buses, and he is looking for his own Ithaca by ship, the Black Dolores. He travels, day and night, passing only two or three miles away from the White Night of his countrywoman, Irit, who stays awake with Palestinian refugees. They are forced to cross the wire fences during the night in order to go home. The houses in Jerusalem resonate with mother’s fairytales. Once upon a time, the mother begins, and the kids, who are listening to her, know that in their own lives there will always be the evil lord, and they are looking for the gallant hero to rescue his lover, as happens in fairytales. The passions in Gaza mount. Next to and opposite the eternal enemy, others emerge who discover the father of all sins, love. Romance in Gaza. A young inspired Palestinian woman is trying to realize what has changed and what has not in human love in the last three generations: from the war to revolution and now the siege. Mohamed’s heart is beating hard in the rhythm of his own song Waiting for you. He swears to his lover who is outside of Gaza. He inside, she outside and the Skype is on fire. In the war, only one of the two is the winner. In love either both are glorified or both lose and are lost. But a war has also winners who do not fight. The Greek Ship-owners, Niarchos, Onassis and Livanos, were watching their fleets grow at the end of each large military engagement. War, hunger, infection and sickness threaten Eight Children who demand their rights. All that has been promised them. Education on the Verge is not, of course, a promise for young people who want to leave their families and to make their own lives. But the mothers are waiting on the side. Even if their sons and daughters are studying in another city or country, the packet with meatballs and spinach pie is coming with the Flying Food flight. Some prefer land, like Naftali Gliksberg with Seven Species, some others prefer mother’s kitchen, running in the flight arrivals for a food packet.The Runner from the Western Sahara is making a Check in of his own flight for the Olympic Games of London. Their country exists only in their hearts. He is dreaming not to win in the final, but to run at least in the first round. It is enough for him to make the glory round with the flag on his chest. His heart will be his own Acropolis. Maybe then, The Parthenon Marbles will return to their home.

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